This summer I will be fabricating stock for this project: http://www.mts.net/~derby/ I don’t yet know how many kits I’ll be doing, but a minimum of 8 to 10 is likely.
My main question is with respect to the best method of cutting (Table saw, circular saw, or, perhaps, a router). (I would like to minimize the amount of time in clean-up. )
I’ll also welcome comments re the project as described on the site. I note the suggestion of nails which, with plywood, don’t seem ideal. I’ll likely have the ‘victims’ use screws into dimensional lumber at the joints.
Thank you!
Replies
I am not sure about the quality of cut you need. It looks like a circ saw with a good blade will do. I would use a circ saw and a set of templates. If your parts are all angled (not curved) and there are no, or few, inside angles then this will be very fast.
The templates need to be smaller than the parts by the distance between the saw blade and the side of the shoe (or base of the saw). You then clamp the template to your sheet of ply and run the saw around the the template. It is very fast and gives consistant results. If the parts have curves or inside angles you can do the same thing with a jig saw or router.
Give a lot of though to the template size. If the template is complicated I will go ahead and make the part full size, then mark the off sets and cut it to the smaller size.
Mike
In a production run I'd probably try to rough out with a powered hand saw, then use templates to finish to size - this could be on a table saw or router table. The router will give you better edge quality and with a templet would allow you to consider "niceties" such as bull-nosed exposed edges, etc, but do yoe really need that?
Scrit
Thank you. Probably not many 'original' approaches, but I can always hope! ;-)
"Probably not many 'original' approaches, but I can always hope!"
What does that mean? These methods aren't "origional" but they have been proven over many decades. The router/ template method will even allow you to make the dados and cutouts on the interior of the pieces as well.
Mike
You bet they have! I was leaning towards the rough and then finish with router and template approach but thought someone might have some out-of-the-box suggestions. Using a template with my circ saw was one. I hadn't even thought of that, but I'm concerned it may not provide the desired results (maybe with a proper blade ;-) )
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